What is going on with my tank!?

[Cawhitlock83]

So, I thought I knew what I was doing - clearly I do not. Feeling a little overwhelmed and reaching out for help before I lose anything else. My ammonia is still high even after two water changes. Lost a six line wrasse and a valentini puffer yesterday - which I'm so bummed about. Fish were stressed over the weekend and I did not realize why until it was too late. Added several turbo snails on Thursday and found several dead too late which I'm assuming was the cause of the ammonia spike. Did a 10gallon water change as soon as I found the two dead fish and scooped out all the snails that I could find. (I'm realizing now I have WAY too many) I cleaned my canister filter sponges (with the old saltwater in the filter before dumping that water) and added tidal matrix 110 to help add more bacteria to the tank per our LFS recommendations. I also did another 15 gallon water change last night as well.

My tank: (established almost 5 months ago - upgraded from a 29gal that was established for about 6 months)
110 gallons, 90(ish) lbs of live rock, 3 power heads, 2 heaters (set to 78) and a cascade 1200 canister filter (with original media until I added tidal matrix 110 yesterday) & I make my own salt water with our tap water

In the tank:
Hermit Crabs (unknown amount - there are a TON)
1 Emerald Crab
2 large Decorator Spider Crabs
Turbo Snails (at least 17 - maybe more)
Small Snails (assorted - also a TON)
Sand Sifting Starfish
2 Tiger Sand Conch
2 Peppermint Shrimp (though lately, I've only been able to find one)
1 Long-Spine Urchin
1 Dolabella Sea Hare
1 Long-tentacle anemone
1 Australian Duncanopsammia - one polyp
2 Clarkii Clowns (paired)
1 Blue Velvet Damsel
1 Scissortail Damsel
1 Sailfin Tang
1 Naso Tang (supposed to be coming today from a previous online order)
1 Green Mandarin Dragonet

Yesterday's Water Parameters: (after 1st water change & used PRIME)
pH - 7.8 to 8.0 (used pH booster)
Ammonia - .25ppm (possibly slightly higher)
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 10ppm
Salinity - 1.020
*also added additional prime between water changes

Also added copepods yesterday for the mandarin last night (only to learn later I added the wrong kind... so I am now ordering more for him but want to get my tank in order!) So now, my current issues are a weird white substance on the sand bed which I'm worried is Ich, a lot of debris behind my live rock that I can't get to and ammonia levels are STILL up. The fish seem to be fine, swimming around and such and nowhere near as stressed but my water parameters are still the same. I have a naso tang that is supposed to be arriving from a previous online order - but now I'm worried about adding him to a bad tank! I'm worried about these white patches being dangerous and I don't know how to get my ammonia down. Should I move my live rock and clean behind it? Should I wait for my tank to add more bacteria with the tidal matrix addition? Is it still ok to add copepods for my mandarin? I'm so worried about my tank! I don't want to lose anyone else.

TODAY'S WATER PARAMETERS:
pH - 8.0 (cannot get it to raise anymore)
Ammonia - 0.25ppm
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 10ppm
Salinity - 1.0215

Pictures below of the tank, behind the live rock (kind of hard to tell just how much debris is back there), the pods I added yesterday and the white patches (which I'm really worried about). ANY advice is greatly appreciated!! I just want a healthy tank and ecosystem for my fish!

 

[LAReefer4Life]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. You need to conduct at least 40-50% water changes if you want to have a significant impact on reducing your ammonia levels. Also I really suggest you stop chasing your PH with buffers as these also impact your alkalinity levels and cause another set of issues for you. Aim for achievable water parameters and maintain them. Most important thing to take away here is you need to provide consistent and stable conditions. Don't worry the white stuff is NOT ich but looks like white slime algae.

Do you QT your new fish? If not, you should definitely consider it.

 

[LAReefer4Life]

You should also invest in a solid test kit for alkalinity, calcium, phosphate, and magnesium. Its good to understand these in your aquarium.

 

[Dragon52]

The API test kit for ammonia is know to show .25 even when there isn't any so find another test kit for that. Most people here recommend Salifert, Red Sea & Hanna.

 

[Daddy-o]

One sentence caught my attention:

"I make my own salt water with our tap water"

No filtering?
Cheers! Mark

 

[Dragon52]

If you don't have a TDS meter see if your LFS will check your tap water until you get one. That could also be a problem. You also might want to look into an RO/DI unit.

 

[Malifry97]

I’d say 40-50% WC and a new test kit to verify, also maybe a bottle of biospira or turbo start to be sure

 

[ScottB]

The API kit always shows a false positive for ammonia at .25; I would not sweat that. You could've had a small spike from the dead snails that finished a couple weakened fish, but you have plenty of ammonia processing bacteria in there with that much live rock.

Unless your tap water comes directly from glacier melt stop using it. Not suggesting that is the cause of your current issue, but I would point there before a few dead snails in with 90lbs of live rock and sand. You are at the volume where you need to set up and RODI system. If you are going fish only -- and you are using super clean well water -- I could be convinced it is not absolutely necessary.

The white stuff on the sand I would siphon out. Probably the bacteria finishing up the snail carcass.

With that Naso tang on the way, you need to be thinking about setting up a proper sump for better mechanical filtration options versus the canister. Tangs are by far my favorite fish, but the produce a ton of poop relative to other fish.

In the meantime, I guess you just need to keep that canister spotless.

 

[im_jeremy5]

So, I thought I knew what I was doing - clearly I do not. Feeling a little overwhelmed and reaching out for help before I lose anything else. My ammonia is still high even after two water changes. Lost a six line wrasse and a valentini puffer yesterday - which I'm so bummed about. Fish were stressed over the weekend and I did not realize why until it was too late. Added several turbo snails on Thursday and found several dead too late which I'm assuming was the cause of the ammonia spike. Did a 10gallon water change as soon as I found the two dead fish and scooped out all the snails that I could find. (I'm realizing now I have WAY too many) I cleaned my canister filter sponges (with the old saltwater in the filter before dumping that water) and added tidal matrix 110 to help add more bacteria to the tank per our LFS recommendations. I also did another 15 gallon water change last night as well.

My tank: (established almost 5 months ago - upgraded from a 29gal that was established for about 6 months)
110 gallons, 90(ish) lbs of live rock, 3 power heads, 2 heaters (set to 78) and a cascade 1200 canister filter (with original media until I added tidal matrix 110 yesterday) & I make my own salt water with our tap water

In the tank:
Hermit Crabs (unknown amount - there are a TON)
1 Emerald Crab
2 large Decorator Spider Crabs
Turbo Snails (at least 17 - maybe more)
Small Snails (assorted - also a TON)
Sand Sifting Starfish
2 Tiger Sand Conch
2 Peppermint Shrimp (though lately, I've only been able to find one)
1 Long-Spine Urchin
1 Dolabella Sea Hare
1 Long-tentacle anemone
1 Australian Duncanopsammia - one polyp
2 Clarkii Clowns (paired)
1 Blue Velvet Damsel
1 Scissortail Damsel
1 Sailfin Tang
1 Naso Tang (supposed to be coming today from a previous online order)
1 Green Mandarin Dragonet

Yesterday's Water Parameters: (after 1st water change & used PRIME)
pH - 7.8 to 8.0 (used pH booster)
Ammonia - .25ppm (possibly slightly higher)
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 10ppm
Salinity - 1.020
*also added additional prime between water changes

Also added copepods yesterday for the mandarin last night (only to learn later I added the wrong kind... so I am now ordering more for him but want to get my tank in order!) So now, my current issues are a weird white substance on the sand bed which I'm worried is Ich, a lot of debris behind my live rock that I can't get to and ammonia levels are STILL up. The fish seem to be fine, swimming around and such and nowhere near as stressed but my water parameters are still the same. I have a naso tang that is supposed to be arriving from a previous online order - but now I'm worried about adding him to a bad tank! I'm worried about these white patches being dangerous and I don't know how to get my ammonia down. Should I move my live rock and clean behind it? Should I wait for my tank to add more bacteria with the tidal matrix addition? Is it still ok to add copepods for my mandarin? I'm so worried about my tank! I don't want to lose anyone else.

TODAY'S WATER PARAMETERS:
pH - 8.0 (cannot get it to raise anymore)
Ammonia - 0.25ppm
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 10ppm
Salinity - 1.0215

Pictures below of the tank, behind the live rock (kind of hard to tell just how much debris is back there), the pods I added yesterday and the white patches (which I'm really worried about). ANY advice is greatly appreciated!! I just want a healthy tank and ecosystem for my fish!

Just adding my $0.02 , but in my experience API reads 0.25 always. I am not the only one that has this issue. So I would be suspect of those results. As for pH maybe increase surface agitation, but a pH of 7.8 would not be affecting your fish or snails. I would stop using pH booster and check your alkalinity.

Also tap water, at least in my area is full of ammonia and nitrates and chlorine and other stuff LITERALLY DESIGNED to kill everything in it. Do some large water changes with some RO (preferably DI) water of some sort. You aren't going to make any progress if your putting the issue back in. Chlorine dissipates as it sits so if chlorine is the issue, doing a water change is actually exacerbating the problem.

Also, your salinity was super low (1.020) with the first results and 1.021 in the second results. Hopefully you are intentionally, slowly raising it.

 

[Magellan]

What’s your alkalinity? As others have said, and to surmise:

Get RO water for your water changes (you can buy from an LFS or buy distilled from the store)

salinity is happiest around 1.025

improve filtration long term

Improve testing ability


Happy Reefing!

 

[VA5]

As tap water is not ideal if you are not keeping corals it should be fine
Your salinity looked low to me. Mine is 1.026, I think 1.025 is standard
If possible I’d try to upgrade to a sump. Canister filters usually not a good idea for marine in my opinion. I also agree with not chasing numbers. Use a consistent salt with consistent water changes
As this tank is not too old I think you may have gone over the biological filter of it by adding a few things recently. I did this with a 300 gallon lightly stocked tank last year. Added a few extra smallish fish and had a ammonia spike

 

[stanleo]

I would like to add what I think you have already figured out. You have a clean up crew that is way to big. That can be worse than having no CUC. These are grazers that need to eat constantly to thrive. If they run out of food they will starve and when they die it can be on mass and cause ammonia spikes which could have been what killed your fish. Plus you will have an algae outbreak that is far worse than you would have if you had no CUC. In my 120 I have 6 hermits, ten turbos, a sand sifting starfish, a long spine urchin, two tiger conchs and 3 emerald crabs. Plus a yellow tang that is constantly foraging. And I worry that that is too many especially the emeralds but I can't get them out without breaking the rock work apart.

 

[cancun]

Hi there! Sorry for your tank issues! Everyone is spot on....for sure use RO water instead of tap even in FOWLER IMO. Invest in a better test kit....I use Red Sea or Salifert....verify ammonia at your LFS if possible.... don't panic and change too much too fast. Nothing good happens fast in reefing. I would work on gradually bringing up your salinity to 1.025. Also look into another form of mechanical filtration if your budget allows. I think everyone said pretty much the same thing.... You are in great hands here. Keep us posted!!!!